St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-21

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the commissioners it was desired should be
exercised. said it was his own opinion that
the law did not forbid the continuance of
the drawback, but other gentlemen disa-
greed with him. Suppose the commission
were OF the opinion that shipments destined
for Liverpool were not handled under sub
stantially the same circumstances and con-
ditiOns as those coming from the West to
Fitchburg. or locally to Boston, then why
not allow these parties to withdraw. saying
that no case of a violation of the law has
been made out.
A TEST CASE
could be made up to be sure but it would
take time, and it would be difficult. if not
Impossible, to get back the trade which
would in the meantime be lost. Hon.
Alden Spear, of the Boston Merchants
club, argued the unfairness of making New
England. which produced nothing but
manufactured everything, go to New York
for her materials. Mi. Torrey said that SO
far as the Fitchburg road was concerned, if
it could not do the export traffic except by
taking the local traffic on the same terms.
then it would take it on these terms. But
the trunk lines would not assent to this.
This ended the hearing. The commissioners
gave no intimation as to what their action
would be. During the progress of one of
the brief incidental discussions, the chair
man remarked that if the law forbade re-
bates the commission had no power to sus-
pend or waive the legal provisions. So far
as they go these inquiries accord with the
already expressed purpose of the COM
mission to leave the Interpretation of the
law primarily to the railroad companies
themselves and to contine its operations to
the hearing of complaints of violations of
the law and passage upon them. After
the recess the commission gave a hearing
to the representatives of certain
NORTHWESTERN RAILROAD INTERESTS.
j. A. Hanley, general manager of the
Minnesota & Northwestern railroad. pre-
scented petition for an order to allow that
line, in connection with the Wabash and
Central Iowa company, to regulate the
tariffs Oh through business between ST.
Louis and st. Paul and Minneapolis to
meet the water competition upon the
Mississippi also to allow the company to
regulate its tariffs between st. Paul and
Minneapolis and Peoria to meet competition
between these terminals irrespective of its
local tariff; also for an order to authorize
rates in connection with the Illinois Central
upon through traffic to meet competition
upon the lake. W. S. Mellen. general
manager of the Wisconsin Central line.
addressed the commission in connection
with his petition for the suspension Of the
long and short haul, filed last week. Dur
ing an Informal discussion of half an hour
these gentlemen made known their purpose
TO FILE PROTESTS
at another time against the continuance of
the transit system, by means of which
certain roads having connections through
and beyond ST. Paul and Minneapolis give
through rates from the points beyond
Chicago upon grain. with the privilege of
stopping i, at Minneapolis, having 1t con-
verted into -four and then carried on to
Chicago, practically at rates which are but
a fraction of the local rates from Mime
apolis to Chicago and with which the nom
transit routes cannot compete. The transit
roads have, to be sure, suspended the
system for sixty days or pending the action
Of the commission, but there was snch an
accumulation of transit" material on hand
in Chicago that material which had to pay
the rates from Minneapolis could not be
sold in competition with it. 1t was also
stated that under the present rates much of
the flour made in Minneapolis which
formerly went by rail was being
SHIPPED TO DULUTH
by line wholly within the state OF Min
nesota and therefore not subject of the
new law, there to be stored to await the
opening of navigation. Attorneys for the
Chicago. st. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha
Railroad company presented petitions for
relief from section 4, SO as to be allowed to
make rates from st. Paul and Minneapolis
to Superior and Washburr, Wis, and to
Duluth. Mimi, to meet the rates fixed by
the st. Paul d Duluth road, which is wholly
within Minnesota and therefore not a sub
iect of the new law. The manager of
Chicago manufacturing house in letter to
the commission complains that he is now
compelled to pay his fare. whereas formerly
he rode upon pass. He asks that section
% be suspended for the Chicago & North
western road. IL -